The Viper flight simulator

Students teamed together to build a flight simulator inspired by Battlestar Galactica. It has three screens that run the open-source FlightGear program. They wired the joystick-controlled software into 0,7 kW motors on the platform, allowing for 360-degree motion on the pitch and the roll axes. Catch The Viper in action…

The Viper was recognised in PM’s Backyard Genius Awards 2012. Get your hands on PM’s October 2012 issue – on sale on 24 September – for more useful, outrageous, anbitious and, yes, electrifying amateur engineering projects.